Drive for gripper looms



J. BIRMANS ETAL DRIVE FOR GRIPPER LOOMS July 6, 1965 Filed April 15, 1965 JNVENTOM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JGS E-F BIRMANS GUSTAV DUES United States Patent DRIVE FGR GRIEPER LOOMS Josef Bit-mans and Gustav Dubs, Arhon, Switzerland,

assignors to Adolph Saurer Ltd, Arhon, Switzerland Filed Apr. 15, 1363, Ser. No. 272,949

Claims priority, appiication Switzerland, Apr. 18, 1352,

4 Claims. (Cl. 13 122) This invention relates to looms, and more particularly,

to picking devices for gripper looms wherein picking is effected while the slay is in motion, by means of bandshaped, flexible grippercarriers which are guided in guide rakes distributed across the slay.

Known devices of this kind suffer fromthe drawback that either the mass of the gripper drive sharing the rocking motion of the slay, is very large so that for this reason, they are not suitable for high speed operations, or the rocking motion'of the slay imparts to the gripper carrier an added motion which for all cloth widths is always the same throughout the angle'of deflection of the slay. The strokeof the gripper carrier, however, varies with variations of the cloth width. The overlap of the two timepath curves resulting from differences in cloth'width, causes variations in the picking speed which are most undesirable.

It is a primary object of the present invention to substantially eliminate these drawbacks, and to provide a picking drive for gripper looms wherein an additional motion imparted to the gripper carrier by the movement of the slay, is completely avoided, and wherein the mass of the drive for the gripper carrier which takes part in the movement of the slay is reduced to a minimum.

Another object of the invention is the provision of gripper looms with improved picking devices'which will vastly enhance the operation of the loom without undue complication of the mechanism, or a material increase in the cost of the loom.

Other objects, and the manner in which the same are attained, will become apparent as this specification the slay and on the frame of the loom, respectively, that the rolling circles of the gears coincide in a common point of contact which is disposed on the pivotal axis of the slay. Preferably, the gears of this pair are provided with inner and outer toothing; it is also expedient to provide for the drive of this pair of gears, a transmission mounted on the loom frame which via a control lever and a bell crank lever, is driven by a cam disc. The control lever, prefer ably, is provided adjustable to vary the turning angle of the pair of gears and thus, vary'the stroke of the gripper carrier.

In the drawing accompanying this specification and forming part thereof, an embodiment of the invention is illustrated diagrammatically by way of example, but with no limitative intent.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front view, partly in section, of the'left hand side of a loom, parts having no connection with the invention being omitted in the interest of clarity;

FIG. 2 is a section along line IIII in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 shows a detail of FIG. 2 on an enlarged scale.

Referring now to the several figures of the drawing I wherein like parts are denoted by identical reference numerals, lateral frame supports 1 (of which only the one on the left is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) are connected by the tubular traverse member 2. Frame portions 1 support the hollow shaft 3 of the slay for rocking displacement in circumferential direction. The slay 4 is Patented July 6, 1965 and inner toothing 9, and designed for driving the band shaped, flexible gripper carrier 11. A housing12 which accommodates part of the drive, to be described below,- for the gears and the gripper carrier 11, is mounted on the side of the frame support 1. The crankshaft 13 is mounted for rotation in frame 1, and is driven by a motor not shown in the drawing. The crankshaft 13 imparts, by means of the connecting rod 14, a back and forth rocking motion to the stilts 5 and thus, to the slay 4;

Besides, the crankshaft 13 drives, through a pair of gears 15 and 16, a cam disc 17. Lever 18 comprising three arms 19, 20 and 21 is mounted for rocking displacement,

on a pivot 22 which is'supported on the frame support 1. Arm 13 carries a roll 23 which is forced against the cam disc 17 by the force of a draw spring 24 which at one end, engagesarm '20 of the three-armed lever 18 while the other end is firmly secured to the frame 1 of the loom.

The rocking shaft 3 of the slay 4 mounts, for pivotal displacement, at bracket ZS provided with a toothed segment 26 and also including an arm 27. The arm 27 of the bracket 25, and the arm 21 of the lever 18 are provided with slots 28 and 29, respectively. Arms 27 and 21' are detachably connected with one another by a control lever 30. By displacement of control lever 30 in slots 28 and 29, the stroke of arm 27, and thus also the stroke of toothed segment 26, can be varied and thus, adjusted to prevailing requirements. The toothed segment 26 meshes with the spur gear 33 of the transmission shaft 34 to which is also keyed the spur gear 35. Spur gear 35 meshes with a gear 36 which is firmly connected with the bevel gear 37. A shaft 38 supports for rotation on the loom support 1, mounts fixedly a bevel gear 39 and a drive gear 49, the latter including exterior toothing which meshes with the inner toothing 9 of gear 10 which serves to drive the gripper carrier 11. Guides 42 and 43 for the gripper carrier 11 which moves back and forth,

are provided on shaft 3 or slay 4, respectively. For guide purposes in the region of the fabric, a guide rake 44 is provided on slay 4.

In the operation of the mechanism according to the invention, the rotary displacementof the cam disk 17 is transmitted by means of lever 18 and control lever 30,

bracket 25, toothed segment 26, transmission 33 to 39 incl. and gears 40 and 10, and thus translated into a back and forth motion of the gripper carrier 11. Displacement of control lever 30 in the slots 23 and 29 permits the ,stroketo any desired cloth width, the invention attains the several objectives outlined above, and'results ina signal overall improvement of the type of looms to which the invention relates.

We wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the details of construction, design and operasaid shaft, and a flexible gripper carrier, and guide means for said gripper carrier distributed across the slay for effecting picking while the slay is in motion, a picking drive comprising a pair of gears mounted for rotary displacement on said frame and on said slay, respectively, and so disposed relative to one another that their rolling circles coincide in a common point of contact located on the pivotal axis of said shaft of said slay.

2. In a gripper. loom including a frame, a shaft mounted for rocking displacement in said frame, a slay mounted on said shaft, and a flexible gripper carrier, and guide means for said gripper carrier distributed across the slay for effecting picking while the slay is in motion, a picking drive comprising a pair of gears mounted for rotary displacement on said frame and on said slay, respectively, and so disposed relative to one another that their rolling circles coincide in a common point of contact located on the pivotal axis of said shaft of said slay, one of said gears being provided with inner and outer toothing while the other gear is provided with exterior toothing only. 5

3. In a gripper loom including a frame, a shaft mounted for rocking displacement in said frame, a slay mounted on said shaft, and a flexible gripper carrier, and guide means for said gripper carrier distributed across the slay for effecting picking while the slay is in motion, a picking drive comprising a pair of gears mounted for rotary displacement on said frame and on said slay, respectively, and so disposed relative to one another that their rolling circles coincide in a common point of contact located on the pivotal axis of said shaft of said slay, a cam disk, a bell crank lever engaging said cam disk, a transmission driving said pair of gears, and a control lever connecting said cam controlled bell crank lever with said transmission.

4. In a gripper loom including a frame, a shaft mounted for rocking displacements in said frame, a slay mounted on said shaft, and a flexible gripper carrier,-and guide means for said gripper carrier distributed across the slay for effecting picking while the slay is in motion, a picking drive comprising a pair of gears mounted for rotary displacement on said frame and on said slay, respectively, and so disposed relative to one another that their rolling circles coincide in a common point of contact located on the pivotal axis of said shaft of said slay, a cam disk, a bell crank lever engaging said cam disk, a transmission driving said pair of gears, and a control lever connecting said cam controlled bell crank lever with said transmission, said control lever being provided adjustable to vary the angle of rotation of said pair of gears, and to correspondingly adjust the distance of back and forth travel of said gripper carrier.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,191,376 2/40 Gabler 139l23 2,888,956 5/59 Flamand et a1. 139123 FOREIGN PATENTS 424,966 2/35 Great Britain. 572,651 10/45 Great Britain.

DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A GRIPPER LOOM INCLUDING A FRAME, A SHAFT MOUNTED FOR ROCKING DISPLACEMENT IN SAID FRAME, A SLAY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT, AND A FLEXIBLE GRIPPER CARRIED, AND GUIDE MEANS FOR SAID GRIPPER CARRIED DISTRIBUTED ACROSS THE SLAY FOR EFFECTING PICKING WHILE THE SLAY IS IN MOTION, A PICKING DRIVE COMPRISISNG A PAIR OF GEARS MOUNTED FOR ROTARY DISPLACEMENT ON SAID FRAME AND ON SAID SLAY, RESPECTIVELY, AND SO DISPOSED RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER THAT THEIR ROLLING CIRCLES COINCIDE IN A COMMON POINT TO CONNECT LOCATED ON THE PIVOTAL AXIS OF SAID SHAFT OF SAID SLAY. 